'Wild Hearts S' Switch 2 Release Detailed By Koei Tecmo

As long as it's off EA's hands then as a big MonHun fan, sure I'll give this one a go. At least until a new Monster Hunter comes out on Switch 2. I played a lot of Toukiden back in the Vita days so hopefully there's some of that in Wild Hearts.

Looks promising so I might give it a try.

@Zuljaras I want to know too, my purchase depends on this info.

Same here as above.

I’m getting pretty tired already of having to find out every time whether or not a game is properly released on a card.

Pretty neat, although as far as Koeimo hunting RPGs go, I'd be more in the market for the Toukiden series first, the latter's Vita presence notwithstanding.

They Said everything Except If It's Physical Complete on Cartridge or Key-Card Crap

@The-Chosen-one it's a brand new Switch 2 exclusive version rebuilt with tons of changes, including going from 3 to 4 players online, who would it crossplay with? lol

The fact companies don't like to even mention if it's a key card betrays that they themselves know how negative it is. But do it anyway to cut costs - yet not pass that on to the customer. Absolutely digusting behaviour.

@JohnnyMind not sure no crossplay is such a big deal. Game failed on other platforms, active community is not that big.
However, it could find it's footing on Switch 2 if done properly (no EA crap).
Nintendo really needs to address game "code on a cart" situation before it gets out of hand. My believe it was supposed to be a "crutch" for indie devs to be able to offer boxed version of the game, not a way for AAA publishers to minimize cost even further.

I will stick with the real monster hunter

@GrailUK
I agree they should disclose that info, but to be fair they all do get disclosed before release so in the end it's not like we're unable to know before we buy. But I disagree that it's disgusting behavior for reasons stated in my reply to someone else below. I think they should consider putting their games on cart for a $10 premium though. Then they could justify the price by saying look, it's a $70 game but if you want it on a high speed 1,200 MB/s 64GB cart, it's $79.99.

@Cikajovazmaj
There's really nothing Nintendo can do. All of their own games come fully on cart but what third parties do is not in their control. We have to realize that we can't have our cake and eat it too. Nintendo is the only company who developed high speed media for games to play off that external medium and not require a mandatory installation. Thats not cheap. Especially when you're talking about a portable console where it has to be tiny. Each cartridge is like little mini-SSD (better even- the carts have read speeds twice that of Sata Solid State Drives). That has to be incredibly expensive. Just look at the price of microSD Express cards. 256GB for $60. So about $15 for 64GB of storage.

Then, factor in the larger size of 3rd party games, almost all of which would require a 64GB cart, and you end up where we are now. You simply can't have lightning fast external storage that's double the speed of Sata SSDs, with games largely requiring 64GB carts, and expect companies to foot that bill. We're honestly pretty lucky that even Nintendo is doing it. The fact some 3rd party games are also on cart is a miracle.

@The-Chosen-one
no crossplay?

There's no point. The game is practically dead on other platforms. Plus this version increases players from 3 to 4. I'm not sure other versions ever did that. Maybe they did, but if not that would make them incompatible for sure.

Either way, the playerbase is going to essentially be all on Switch 2.

I just got the Xbox physical version brand new for 5 bucks and it’s pretty obvious why the game bombed when you play it compared to Monster Hunter.

I have a feeling that just like the Switch started as a Wii U games recycling machine, the Switch 2 will start as an Xbox Series X / ps5 rather old third party titles factory…

@Medic_alert It depends. They get sold to retailers. So from their perspective, that cuts the risk down. Then it's up to the retailers to sell them. It's genuinely a profiteering exercise. If they were more widely adopted, the cost of producing them would shrink (economies of scale etc.) So I don't thinkit's that black and white. The boardroom know exactly what they are doing...

@JohnnyMind
My reply is too long, so I'm breaking it up into 3 separate posts.

PART 1
This is the best MH-genre game that's not actually Monster Hunter itself. I'm not a fan of the monster designs, but aside from that, it absolutely rips.

I highly recommend Monster Hunter Rise though. Back in early 2013 I had just bought a Wii U and a copy of Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate. I had played it for an hour and then set it aside. Didn't really grab me. But my diehard Xbox fanboy co-worker kept telling me how bad he wanted to play Monster Hunter. He went out and purchased a Wii U with MH3U just to play that game. Everyday he would say man, I just wanna play some more Monster Hunter. I said hey, I'll play with you if you show me the ropes. That night we hunted together and it was the most thrilling excitement I'd ever experienced in a video game. 50 minute timer on standard hunts. We fought that monster so viciously! I cut off it's tail- it ran and fled into the water- we pursued it and fought it underwater. Then back onto land. Finally the signs of fatigue set in meaning it's close to death. It starts limping out of the area- we give chase and let everything out- we fought like our lives depended on it! And just when we thought we had it... Quest Failed. Time up. You have to understand that back then multiplayer hunts had a scalar that multiplied the difficulty by increasing the HP of the monster regardless of whether you had two people playing or four people playing so because it was just us two and it was my first time hunting a monster it took way longer than it normally would.

But I was hooked.

Every night we get off work and I would go home and hop online to play with him. And every time he would meet me in the lobby he'd be wearing a brand new armor set that just looked amazing. I'd be like dude, I want one too! So he'd help me hunt Great Jaggi to make me a set. The next day I'd be feeling all snazzy in my new armor, but he'd be wearing Qurupeco armor! I'd be like dude, where'd you get that?! "Oh ya know. After we quit playing last night I did a few hunts on my own." I'd say come on- I want one too! So he'd help me farm Qurupeco to make an armor set.

Next day I'm feeling like a fashion afficionado, join the lobby and he's decked out in Rathian armor... dude! I need me some of that! And thus the gameplay loop had sucked me in... hard.

I remember hunting Qurupeco and the giant bird makes this weird mating call. Next thing we know this giant drooling Tyrannasaurus Rex looking monster comes charging into the area wrecking everything in it's path. My friend is like, "Dude... RUN!!!" Ain't gotta tell me twice! I high tailed my little hiney out of there as fast as my legs could carry me! It was exhilarating!

Words cannot properly convey the sheer intensity of fun this franchise offers. It is currently my favorite video game franchise of all time. Even more than Fire Emblem, Xenoblade, Metroid, Zelda, Final Fantasy, Doom, Sniper Elite, Trials Rising, you name it. And to think I used to be just like you. It seemed to be a game that just wasn't my thing. The key is learning how to play the game properly. Once you know what you're doing it is the most fun you will ever experience with this medium. The challenge is overcoming that hurdle and admittedly, the games aren't very good at explaining everything and because they are so incredibly complex many players get confused and frustrated and just give up.

@JohnnyMind

PART 2
Weapons feeling "slow and clunky" is one of the most common complaints you'll hear. Because when you don't know what you're doing and you're just mashing buttons with no particular order the attacks are slow and clunky. But when you know the right sequence of attacks to use to chain them together in combos and then Loop the combos together combat is fast and fluid. It's so incredibly rewarding because when you do make a mistake you're penalized by an animation pause before you can attempt the next attack. The game is all about managing animation frames. It's not Devil May Cry. When you swing your sword there will be a wind up. So you must anticipate your opening and predict where the monster will be by the time your sword actually swings to land the hit properly.

Granted, there are 14 weapons and each plays so differently it's like experiencing 14 different games. Many people will switch weapons and replay the entire game because it genuinely feels that different of an experience. Newbies shouldn't use weapons like Great Sword because it's the slowest weapon in the game, which means you really need to know the monsters like the back of your hand in order to predict openings to land attacks. Ranged weapons also aren't good for beginners. But Dual Blades, the fastest weapon which DOES make it feel like DMC, I think those should also be avoided by beginners because they develop bad habits for the player.

You really need to learn how to manage animation frames so I think a good weapon for beginners is something like the Long Sword, the Hunting Horn (for Rise specifically- it's way faster in this game) or Sword and Shield. The most complicated are Switch Axe, Charge Blade and Insect Glaive. The first two morph between a sword and a giant axe or an axe into a larger sword, while the glaive pogo stick jumps you into the air and you send out this kinsect bug by shooting it at the monster and depending where it hits it brings back different colored buffs. The idea is to get all three Buffs going at the same time which then expands your move set and makes combos infinite and twice as fast. It's super fun to play but definitely not newcomer friendly.

Longsword was the weapon I used to learn the game with and I still recommend it. But the game starts you out with one of each of the 14 weapons so you can go to the training area, and then go to your equipment box in that training area to swap out your main weapon, then practice with each one until you find one you gel with. I have a tradition of learning a new weapon each time a new game releases in the series. Once you've found the weapon you want to main, it's best to go on YouTube and watch a GaijinHunter tutorial for that weapon. That way you learn everything it can do and the right sequence of attacks for the best combo and just how to use the weapon properly.

@JohnnyMind

PART 3
So much of the tedium has been removed from the series nowadays that it's a lot easier than it used to be. There are countless materials like plants you pick when out on quests and ore you mine, bugs you capture and fish you reel in... and you combine them to make all sorts of various things like potions (used to be green herbs + blue mushrooms but now it's just green herbs, and Rise now offers auto-crafting where you can toggle on things you want the game to automatically craft for you when you have the ingredients, so for potions it'll automatically convert green herbs into potions for you), mega-potions (potion + honey), shock traps, pitfall traps, tranquilizer bombs, flash bombs, small and large barrel bombs, immunizer, antidotes, herbal medicine, etc.

If you can find a friend who is already into the series and is willing to play with you and show you the ropes to help get you into the series you will have the best time of your life. And it makes such a huge difference when you have a friend who can help walk you through understanding parts of the game that you otherwise would have had to Google or learn from trial and error. There are a lot of people here on the forums who I'm sure would be happy to hunt with you by slapping on some low rank armor (so they don't kill the monster in 3 minutes for you lol).

Any info about resolution, fps?

This reviewed well, but didn't get the sales apparently? That true?

The trailer has me intrigued to be honest with you

I can't wait for decent ports on Switch 2 😍

There’s a lot of does not include in that list

I’m actually quite excited by this one, as a huge fan of MH Rise. I poured 800+ hours into Rise/Sunbreak, topping out at AR Level 300 (max) before finally hanging up my Greatsword. It was/is the ultimate side-game, a perfect accompaniment to more meaty ‘main games’. I probably played daily for the years since release, if only for 10-15 mins (quick hunt/build update/crafting)

Tried out World on Steamdeck and just couldn’t gel with it… Rise has spoilt me, and I just missed so many of the more arcade-ish nuances of Rise. Don’t get me wrong, ‘objectively’ World is awesome - but the slower nature of the game wasn’t for me.

Wilds remains unplayed, as currently only playing Switch/Steamdeck (actually just sold the deck, to fund impending Switch2)

Has anyone here played Wildhearts? IIRC - it actually reviewed fairly well, albeit of course not as good as the MH series (but perhaps the best contemporary iteration of it?)

I’ve got the Switch2 bundle with MKW, and will grab Cyberpunk at launch also. I’d like to also grab Streetfighter 6 and maybe Wildhearts

Can anyone here advocate WH? Impressive imitator or lacking pretender??

@JohnnyMind
Ah, gotcha. That's a shame.

But Stories is also great! I'd say start with MH Stories 2 but the unlocked framerate on Switch causes some stuttering in certain areas. It's by no means unplayable. And it's not sub-30fps dips so much as it's fluctuations dipping below 60fps, and again the issue is only really bothersome in one or two specific areas. But if you have a modchipped Switch OLED like I do you can overclock to iron the framerate out (I don't pirate- I strictly use it to undervolt and overclock and display the docked image in handheld mode so I'm always guaranteed 720p locked with 30fps or 60fps locked). Or you can just play it on Switch 2 which will lock framerate to 60fps automatically without any update (same thing my chipped Switch OLED does- more power = automatically fixing framerate and dynamic resolution dips).

MH Stories 1 looks and runs flawlessly but it's not as good as the 2nd. Still, it is good. Maybe play that one now and jump to Stories 2 when NSW2 releases. The games are so incredibly charming and endearing. The monsters are phenomenal. It's a bonus that I sunk 600 hrs into MH3U on Wii U, 400 hrs into MH4U on 3DS, 400 hrs into MH Generations on 3DS, 600 hrs into MHGU on Switch, 400 hrs into MH World on PS4, and 800 hrs into MH Rise on Switch. I know all the monsters so getting to see them in a new artstyle and use them for turn based battles is an incredible payoff.

There's physical release for MH Stories 2, and a physical release for MH Stories 1 that's a combo pack including a download code for MH Stories 2 as a bonus. Just fyi.

@CJD87
By far this is the best MH-genre game that's not actually Monster Hunter. It puts Freedom Wars, Toukiden, Soul Sacrifice, God Eater, etc to shame.

My one issue is I don't like the monster designs. But that aside, it's really good. Like, impressively so.

BTW Wilds kinda sucks imo. I could give a 9 paragraph rant about it but I'll spare you. It also runs horribly on my Steamdeck OLED.

Greatsword was BOSS in Monster Hunter Rise + Sunbreak, wasn't it?!! That counter still gives me goosebumps 😍 Also, Bow. That weapon with gyro aiming in Rise using an armor set maxing out all bow skills... muah! I've never been a ranged user but bow in Rise is some of the best fun I've ever had.

Played it in on PS5 when it released and sold it a week later. Not worth the asking the price and doesn't hold a candle to monster hunter.

For those asking for cross play even if it was possible there's still no point, on steam there's 103 people playing right now, with an average of 44 players at a time over the last 30 days. The game is well and truly dead.

@JaxonH

Thanks for this info!

@Solid_Python
Thanks for that, i didnt know that.

@Medic_alert Yeah, I reckon you are right mate. I can't think of any other arguement. What you said is especially true in these 'uncertain times (tm.)' The burden will fall on some brave boutique publisher, and then it's a case of negotiating rights etc. I'm glad Nintendo are still sold on physical. And their games will generally fall into whatever capacity cards they are willing to manufacture. Definately a sign of the times.

@8bit-Man
It’s true, in the Switch Uno days a game would be announced and then we’d have to wait for retailers or Nintendo or somebody to tell us if it was getting a physical or not. Now with Switch Deux we have to research deeper - is the physical just a game key?
Sadly, I think going forward we have to presume guilty until proven innocent! It looks like the majority of “physical” Switch 2 games are just going to be these flawed game key cartridges. I’d be pleasantly shocked if Wild Hearts S wasn’t a game key.

I’m really going to miss the “plug & play” peace of mind we usually enjoyed on the OG Switch.

I may get this if it's a good port. I was somewhat interested on Xbox, but I've been trying to migrate away from that ecosystem since last year.

Super fun game. Glad to see it getting a second chance without EA involved. Wouldn't be shock to see this become a franchise if this does even kind of ok on the Switch. Koei has more realistic expectations of their products then EA does I reckon; this was never going to topple the market leader. Nothing ever does.

But yeah, it's a Monster Hunter with really cool prop building gimmick that adds a lot to the gameplay. Give it a shot if that's your jam. Just don't base your expectation of quality on if it "outsells MH" or not. And certainly don't expect the longevity and almost live service amount of post launch support a MH game receives either.

That'd be a silly way to view the world.

I will say it ran kind of rough on a PS5 though so... we'll see.

So are we going to get a Monster Hunter Wilds port? Or heck, I’d even take World!

Game keycard tho so NOPE

@Jedrus_Lilac I guess you should only stick with Metroid too then. Because Castlevania, Hollow Knight or Ori are just imitators as well. Or only play Mario because that's the only "real platformer" all other platformers are just cheap copies am I right?

@CJD87 Wild Hearts is by far the best Monster Hunter clone yet in my opinion. It not only captures the essence of the MH formula but it also innovates on the formula in plenty of ways as well. Namely with the building aspect which is surprisingly fun to use. I actually miss it when going back to normal Monster Hunter, which is something I never thought I'd say.

Overall Wild Hearts is my 3rd favorite hunting game, and that includes Monster Hunter as well. And for a point of reference I've been playing Monster Hunter since Tri on the Wii. If you're open minded enough to play a "clone" of Monster Hunter then Wild Hearts is absolutely worth giving a go imo

I'm still incredibly confused as to why Not-Touikoden 3 was ever an EA game in the first place. And lumped in with the Indie Distribution PR stunt division too. It just keeps raising more and more questions

@Tchunga oh, my comment wasn't meant THAT way, it's ok to imitate, most new things are an imitation of what came before. Any particular reason why you believe this game is deserving of attention?

@Zuljaras Directly from website right where the pre-order buttons are located:

Physical Version
*Only the game-key card will be available.

Well, Steam it is

@JohnnyMind You should try Monster Hunter Wilds. It's a much better game if you hated the controls of the earlier games.

In Monster Hunter Wilds you be able to lock onto a monster, which is a great improvement when playing with the difficult slow heavy melee weapons.

@Zyph I got this on discount a while back and it isn't terrible, but definitely don't expect it to be familiar due to your MonHun experience. I'm a huge MH fan and Wild Hearts takes a little while longer to get the hang of the controls, which I found very unintuitive... so, just go ahead and plan to customize them from the get go, especially if you are used to MH controls. Other than that, the opening "tutorial" is a bit of a slog. It's a fun break from the MH formula with interesting little things like the ability to build structures mid battle to get advantages in a battle.

@Jeronan You've been able to lock onto Monsters since MH:Tri on the Wii. The camera just doesn't stay focused if you manually move it.

It sounds like a good many of you don't know what this game is so let me start by saying I am a HUGE monster hunter fan. Been playing since 3U and it's my go to game in any situation. I have played a few clones like God Eater but to me Wild Hearts is the best of them all. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS GAME. I played about 400 hours on PS5 and was gutted when they stopped releasing content. Even after playing Monster Hunter Wilds (which actually lifts alot from wild hearts, sometimes worse than wild hearts) I still have an itch to play more Wild Hearts. I'm personally looking forward to getting this game again on switch 2 and taking my claw blade with me everywhere!

If you are into attack on titan and you thought Dual Blades were a comparison you haven't seen anything yet. The claw blade is AMAZING!

Haven’t opened my series x copy but will probably double dip.

@Unit_DTH Based on reviews I think it's a good game all things considered though I haven't played it yet. I'm pretty open-minded about these hunting-type games so I think I'll enjoy Wild Hearts for what it is and won't compare it to MH 1 to 1. I guess having already played games like Soul Sacrifice, God Eater, Toukiden, etc. helped me get a good grasp on what to expect from anything other than Capcom's offerings. I'm sure I'll find it interesting. The only problem is will it have a steady online player base.

@Zyph I guess we will have to wait and find out about the player base. I mean it's original release was in 2023, but with this new console we may see a large online player base of newcomers. Let's hope!

@Unit_DTH Just realized this is a game-key card release. Well that puts a damper in my plans. But let's see though. The game might still be fun enough for me to consider getting it but it'll be the full digital release since game-key cards for me are utterly pointless.

@Zyph I still don't get the negativity around game key cards. This is the same thing that disc based games have been doing for years now. They sell you an idea of a game on disc and then you have to download the entire game to your system. The down side to them is having to insert them just to play a downloaded game, but with disc based "game key discs" (if we are being real about this) you have to do the same thing. Not as prominent on the PS5, since you get a base and broken copy of the game "on disc", but still have to download the rest of the game and have the disc inserted to play said game, that is downloaded to your console. I'd rather just get the digital version and not have to carry the key around with me. It allows for resale of "digital" games, not really a bad thing, or a way to allow people to borrow digital games without being in your family group for Nintendo Online.

I feel like there is a lot more bother about the Game Key Cards than is really needed. I'll be getting Wild Hearts S in digital format anyway, so not a big problem for me.

Love having a massive library of games with me on the go without having to switch game cards in and out.

But, that is my personal preference and my view of the whole Game Key Card issue. Take it or leave it, not a big deal to me.

@Unit_DTH I don't mind really mind them tbh. It's just that I don't really sell any of my games so if I'm gonna get one I might as well just get the full digital download. What I meant is I need to plan ahead and maybe get an express SD card since so far there are a few games already I plan to get that'll fill up the internal storage fast including Wild Hearts.

Personally I just feel this new format is pointless unless you feel the need to lend or resell the carts.

@Zyph I'm with you on this one. I lend games to friends and family members, so the key card will work well for that.